Chapter 3 Cheong-o

Jaekyung licked up all the blood-soaked earth around him as if possessed. He ate a fair bit of dirt too, but he didn't care. After diligently cleaning the area for a while, his senses belatedly returned.

It was like being doused with ice water in the middle of a daze.

'This is...'

Confused, not knowing what had just happened, he heard an unfamiliar sound from above his head.

“Snake. Big snake. What are you thinking?”

He heard the small chirping of a bird. Normally, the sound would have passed by like background noise, but for some reason, Jaekyung could understand it.

"What?!"

He jerked his head up in alarm, and saw a bird hovering above him, flapping its wings silently. Compared to the two birds he had seen a little while ago, it was as small as a fledgling, but it wasn't so small compared to ordinary birds. It was a bird that resembled a crow overall.

However, its beak was a little smaller and its feathers had a bluish tint. It also seemed to be emitting a faint glow. Jaekyung narrowed his eyes as he looked at the extraordinary bird.

“Was that you talking?" "Yes. It was me.”

The sounds the snake and the bird made were different, yet they could communicate. Jaekyung immediately realized it was thanks to this bird. No matter what sound he made, this bird could understand him, and at the same time, it could make its own sounds understandable to him.

“Who are you?”

“Me?

I'm Cheong-o. That's my name. Do you know what a name is?"

“I know."

"Huh? You know?"

Cheong-o tilted its head. As if it were strange that he would know such a profound secret.

“How did you do it?”

Jaekyung asked. “Do what?"

“How are we able to have a conversation?”

“Us?

No. It's that I can talk to you. I'm special, you see. Only I can talk to dumb beasts like you."

The bird continued to puff up with pride, as if it wanted to boast about how special it was. But Jaekyung wasn't bothered by its attitude. This bird was the first being in this world with whom he could have a conversation.

And, while its tone might be a little grating, he had to admit that this bird was anything but ordinary.

“Why are you the only special one?”

“Because I'm a special bird. An Immortal awakened me. He even gave me a name.

Cheong-o. That's my name. It's mine alone. Do you have a name?"

Awakened? Immortal?

He understood the words, but he couldn't grasp their meaning. Jaekyung calmed his confused heart and continued to ask. Fortunately, this smug little bird seemed to enjoy talking, and once Jaekyung gently coaxed it, it began to pour out words as if it had been waiting for the chance.

“What is awakening? It's a good thing. A very good thing. Before, I was a stupid bird that only knew how to eat and sleep, but after the Immortal awakened me, I became smart." "Now I can speak, and I can listen. I even got a hobby. Preening my feathers. See? There's not a single feather out of place on my wings. It's truly perfect.”

Cheong-o did a little spin in place, spreading its wings wide. The faint blue glow traced a faint circle, a sight both mystical and beautiful. “You mentioned an Immortal… what's an Immortal?"

“An Immortal? An Immortal is an Immortal. They can do anything. I want to become an Immortal too.”

Cheong-o said that with a single glance, an Immortal could kill a fearsome beast, and with a single gesture, they could flatten the land. The explanation was a bit all over the place, but he could at least understand that Immortals were incredibly formidable beings.

Judging by the reverence in its tone, Cheong-o seemed to greatly respect this being called an Immortal.

'An Immortal...'

What Cheong-o's talk of an Immortal reminded Jaekyung of were the Immortals from his past life. Not the kind of Immortal that appears from a pond holding three axes, but the Immortals from fictional works, the kind commonly classified as cultivation stories.

Among the genre novels Jaekyung had enjoyed in his previous life, there were some that were so-called cultivation stories. In those novels, humans would cultivate to become immortal beings, or Immortals. The being Cheong-o was describing as an Immortal had similarities to the Immortals, or cultivators, depicted in those cultivation novels.

'Come to think of it, I think those two were like that as well.' The moment he saw them, he had been seized by extreme fear and had hidden himself, so he didn't have a chance to observe them closely.

But recalling the fleeting, hazy memory of that brief moment, it seemed the abilities they displayed had similarities to the methods of Immortals described in cultivation stories. Of course, he couldn't be sure. The worldviews and descriptions in the cultivation stories he had seen, that is, cultivation novels, were all different from one another.

'Don't tell me I've fallen into some kind of cultivation novel?' Falling into a fictional world like a novel or a comic was one of the clichés of genre fiction.

Among the novels Jaekyung had read in his past life, there were many such "reincarnation into a work of fiction" stories, like being reincarnated as a slave trader in a game, or as a conglomerate heir in a soap opera. Could it be that he had become one of those protagonists?

He thought it was unlikely, but it was a real possibility. 'Whatever the case… meeting this fellow is a stroke of luck.' While he was lost in thought, Cheong-o was delivering a lengthy speech on just how great Immortals were.

It was as if it was identifying itself with that being, the Immortal. Jaekyung listened quietly without interrupting the boastful words. Because it seemed that the more Cheong-o talked, the better its mood became.

He didn't want to upset this useful and sole source of information.

“Yes. That Immortal truly is amazing.”

“Of course! Obviously!

The Immortal is the greatest in this world!" Was the Immortal this little bird's master? Jaekyung thought for a moment before casually bringing it up.

“That Immortal must treat you well." "Yes. He treated me very well. He gave me lots of delicious things.......”

The once lively Cheong-o suddenly drooped. “But he's gone now."

"Huh?"

“The Immortal. He's gone now.”

“Gone?" "Yes. He died.”

Cheong-o looked sad and seemed unwilling to say more. Jaekyung tactfully changed the subject without prying further.

“That's a shame.”

“What's a shame?"

“I wanted to meet that Immortal too. If he awakened me, I could become as smart as you.”

"Ah!"

Cheong-o nodded.

“That's a shame. It's because you lack fortune. The Immortal said that I was fortunate.”

Cheong-o, who had been preening, glanced at Jaekyung, rolled its eyes, and added another word.

“Well. But you're smart too. Not as smart as me, of course. Most of the other creatures can't understand me even when I talk to them.”

“Is that so?"

“Yes. Most of them are like that. Unless their spiritual nature awakens, beasts are all dumb. But creatures whose spiritual wisdom has sprouted are extremely rare. I've only seen a few myself.”

Spiritual wisdom.

Another word he didn't know. When Jaekyung asked, Cheong-o once again began to excitedly share its knowledge. According to Cheong-o's explanation, for "spiritual wisdom to sprout," as he called it, meant that a creature that originally had no intelligence acquired it for some reason.

It was like planting a seed in empty ground and letting it germinate. The awakening Cheong-o spoke of so proudly was one way, and another was when a beast seized an opportunity on its own to become a spirit beast. 'A spirit beast.'

It was becoming more and more likely that this world was a cultivation world or something similar. Jaekyung tried to get information out of Cheong-o, but he didn't reveal his intentions. Even without his prompting, Cheong-o willingly spouted useful information.

As long as he occasionally chimed in or showed he was listening, it would chatter on happily. There was no greater chatterbox than this one. But as he listened to the story, he began to understand the chatterbox's circumstances.

Cheong-o's spiritual wisdom had opened, allowing it to converse with all sorts of beasts, and even humans, but there were extremely few creatures who could understand its words. No matter how good a speaker you are, you can't show off to an audience that can't hear you.

Cheong-o vented its past frustrations, and through this, Jaekyung learned that there were no other beasts with sprouted spiritual wisdom in the vicinity. He also learned that Cheong-o had seen humans other than the Immortal.

“Humans…

I've seen them across the river.

Nasty fellows!

They tried to catch me." “They tried to catch you?" Cheong-o nodded its head like a woodpecker.

“Humans are always like that. They're not going to eat them, but they catch beasts. Do they catch them to eat them?"

As a former human, it felt strange for Jaekyung to listen to a beast badmouthing humans, but that was all. He had already distinguished between his past life and his current one, and had accepted it.

To him now, humans were not kin who evoked nostalgia for his past life, but a threatening presence that could harm him at any moment.

“I saw them across the river. But last time, a group of them crossed the river, so I got scared and ran away.”

“Which way is that river?"

“That way." Cheong-o pointed in a direction with its beak. Jaekyung tried to remember the direction, vowing not to even turn his head that way in his sleep. "Right. I should get going now.”

After chattering on by itself for a long while, Cheong-o said its goodbyes. Jaekyung had been getting anxious from staying in one spot for too long anyway, so he tried not to show his delight. This little bird was as emotional as a person, and Jaekyung didn't want to hurt the feelings of a being he couldn't control.

Once Cheong-o flew off somewhere, Jaekyung moved a short distance and climbed a tree. As he moved, he carefully observed his surroundings and noticed that at some point, the trees had become a little larger and their color had grown darker.

He didn't know if this change meant the branches of the trees were stronger, but Jaekyung decided to climb one and see. After all, he had no choice but to experience everything with his own body.

'Hmm.......?' 'Hmm.'

Resting his body against a thick branch, Jaekyung felt that this potential bed seemed sturdier than the ones he had used so far. But judging by how much it swayed, it was still a bit lacking for him to sleep peacefully. Jaekyung silently climbed back down the tree and continued moving in his original direction.

Then, just as the darkness began to noticeably fade, Jaekyung climbed the largest tree in his sight. Fortunately, the branches of that tree were strong enough to support his body. He felt it would be sufficient for a few days.

'Something's strange.'

Having settled into a suitable spot, Jaekyung was bewildered as he felt his body was different from usual. He didn't have a watch, but usually around this time, even if he had finished hunting with ease, his body would start to feel heavy.

But now, his body was overflowing with strength, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep. Jaekyung began to review how today had been different from the days before.

The first thing that came to mind was the mystical bird, Cheong-o, but the possibility that having a little chat with that fellow had affected his physical condition was very low. So, other than that, the only special thing was probably…

'That blood.'

Jaekyung recalled the two monstrous birds that had fought so ferociously. And himself, licking up the blood they had shed as if possessed after they had left. 'I should have asked about that too.'

Did Cheong-o see them? It probably did. The fellow was smart, and from the way it talked, it had its own sense of caution.

So it must have revealed itself only after the monstrous birds had left. 'It doesn't seem like a bad thing.' The few drops of the monstrous birds' blood that had fallen on the ground had drawn him in powerfully.

Like a starving man drawn to a feast that suddenly appeared before his eyes, Jaekyung was drawn to those few drops of blood. It was definitely not normal, but at the time, he had no doubts or hesitation. Thinking back on why that was, it seemed to be because he was convinced that it would be beneficial to him.

If you were to ask how he was so sure… he could only explain it as instinct.

Yes.

It all came back to instinct. This time, too, as expected. He would rather not be swayed by uncontrollable instincts, but it seemed instinct's decision was not wrong this time either.

His whole body was overflowing with strength; he felt that right now, he could crush that boar fellow in a single blow. Of course, it might just be a temporary enhancement or an awakening effect… but it didn't feel like that. 'I'll find out in time.'

That was a problem for later. The immediate problem was that he couldn't fall asleep. Jaekyung forced his eyes shut and began counting sheep in his head.

* Since starting to live on his own, Jaekyung had never once had a deep sleep. No matter how tired he was when he closed his eyes, he never let his guard down in his mind. Thanks to this caution, he had been able to avoid serious injury during several small crises.

Most of the smaller animals that could climb trees didn't dare to attack him first because of his size, but occasionally, some dim-witted birds, mistaking his sleeping form for a dying one, would courageously attack.

“Snake. Wake up.”

At the sound of the chirping bird, Jaekyung reflexively opened his eyes and raised his body. But upon confirming that what woke him was not an attacker but a small bird emitting a faint blue light, he relaxed his guard.

"How did you find me?”

“Huh?

It was easy to find you. There are no other big snakes like you around here.” It was both a benefit and a side effect of his large size.

'Are there no others of my kind around here?' He was able to infer a useful piece of information from Cheong-o's single remark. There was a high probability that there were no others of his kind, at least in this vicinity.

Then again, if there were many building-sized snakes, the ecosystem in this area wouldn't be so quiet.

“I'm hungry.

Do you have anything to eat?"

“No,” Jaekyung replied, half dumbfounded and half sullen.

But just then, a good idea suddenly popped into Jaekyung's head.

“Come to think of it, I'm hungry too. I should go get something to eat.”

His eyes gleamed as he looked at Cheong-o, who was flapping its wings at a sufficient distance while speaking to him in a friendly manner. “So, about that, I think I might need your help."

"Huh?"